City Hub 10 October 2019

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Meet the four very different boys who survived an arduous audition process to take on the lead role of Billy Elliot: The Musical. Page 12

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Snippets by ALEC SMART Climate Chained Radical environmentalists Extinction Rebellion (XR) have chosen this week and next for rallies and civil disturbance to draw attention to the climate crisis threatening the planet. Protests, many involving activists chaining themselves to immovable objects (or each other), have taken place in the USA, Europe, India, and Australasia.

A sub-group, dressed in scarlet robes and turbans known as the Red Rebels, are adding colour to the global gatherings.

In Brisbane on Tuesday, XR activist Paul Jukes suspended himself from Story Bridge in a hammock for six hours, prompting reactionary radio DJ Ray Hadley to declare, “Leave the bastard there!” Jukes live-streamed his stunt on Facebook whilst demanding Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declare a climate emergency. She didn’t respond.

In Sydney former Greens senator Scott Ludlam was one of 38 people aged 19-75 arrested on Monday as he sat down with XR protestors obstructing Broadway near Central Station. On Tuesday beekeeper Paul Hoskinson handed out jars of honey labelled “sorry honey” to apologise to commuters delayed by the XR protests, while others dressed as bees pretended to die to draw attention to the mass global die-out of the essential insect.

XR face increasing pressure to kerb their protests. Last week Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, told 2GB Radio: “There needs to be mandatory or minimum sentences imposed.

A community expectation is that these people are heavily fined or jailed.”

Those arrested in Sydney received stringent bail conditions, including a ban from taking part in any further XR events and exclusion from a 2.5-kilometre radius surrounding the Town Hall effectively the entire CBD.

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Some of the bees that ‘died’ during the Extinction rebellion protests in Sydney this week.

Photo: Wendy Bacon

Trawling Trauma A ‘supertrawler’ that caused widespread consternation seven years ago when Seafish Tasmania introduced it to Australian coastal waters, is now vacuuming up fish in the English Channel, just 22km off the south coast. Fish trapped in the net are sucked up with a large pipe into an on-board fish factory, where they’re automatically sorted, packed and frozen ready for export, mostly to Africa.

The 142-metre factory trawler, Margiris, believed to be the world’s second largest, weighs 9,499 tonnes and can process over 250 tonnes of fish a day, with a cargo capacity of 6,200 tonnes. Seafish Tasmania took custody of the ship in 2012, and renamed it Abel Tasman.

However, after protests by environmentalists – who warned it was drastically reducing food stocks for cetaceans, tuna, sea birds and fur seals - and opposition from leisure and commercial fishing industries, the Australian government prohibited the trawler from fishing for two years.

Seafish then sold its stake in the vessel to a Dutch company and the vessel reassumed her original name.

Similar opposition now threatens its operation in the English Channel, where it is hoovering up herring, mackerel and blue whiting. John Hourston of conservation group Blue Planet Society said: “The reaction to the news that the super-trawler Margiris is off the south coast of England has been astonishing… Commercial fishermen, anglers, conservationists, the public, they all want to see these vessels banned. Not only are they unsustainable, they leave ecological destruction in their wake. Dolphins, porpoises, seals, and huge amounts of fish are all victims of their supersized nets.”

Hi-Vis Scorch Perth doctor Ioana Vlad issued a warning in the Medical Journal of Australia concerning the dangers of wearing high-vis tops in direct sunlight.

The alert arises from an incident when a 40-yearold field environmental engineer suffered firstdegree burns to his back from the reflective strips on his high-visibility safety shirt.

Although the man’s injuries were not serious, he was treated with aloe vera and painkillers for the stripe-shaped scorch, as severe as an unpleasant sunburn.

Dr Vlad believes it is the world’s first case of burns caused by reflective tape.

“Those people wearing them should be aware that if this tape is coming into direct contact with the skin, and they are in direct sunlight, this could happen,” she cautioned. “They should either wear something else underneath like a t-shirt or avoid direct sunlight.”

Royals sue Rupert, Rothemere and Reach Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle launched legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday

newspaper, co-owned by media tycoon Viscount Rothermere (a great-grandson of its Nazisupporting founder Harold Harmsworth).

The Duchess of Sussex alleges misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of Britain’s Data Protection Act for what she claims is unlawful publication of a private letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.

Simultaneously, Prince Harry launched legal proceedings against Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper and Reach PLC, owners of the Daily Mirror, for alleged illegal interception of telephone voicemails, dating back to the early 2000s. In issuing the claim, the Duke of Sussex recalled the tragedy of his mother, Princess Diana, relentlessly hounded by the tabloid press.

Media obsession with Diana ultimately led to the high-speed chase by paparazzi that resulted with her death in August 1997 in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel beneath the River Seine in Paris.

Not Happy Apple A Russian man filed a lawsuit for moral harm against the Californian computer giant Apple, claiming an iPhone app turned him gay. The man, identified as Mr Razumilov, filed suit in a Moscow court seeking one million rubles ($22,800) compensation after a cryptocurrency called ‘GayCoin’ was delivered via an app to his smartphone, instead of the Bitcoin he ordered.

In a story confirmed by Agence France Presse, the man’s GayCoin arrived with a note saying, “Don’t judge until you try.” Said Mr Razumilov: “I thought, in truth, how can I judge something without trying? I decided to try same-sex relationships.

“Now I have a boyfriend and I do not know how to explain this to my parents... My life has been changed for the worse and will never become normal again.”

Razumilov’s lawyer, Sapizhat Gusnieva, told AFP her client was “scared, he suffered.”

Homosexuality is tolerated but condemned in Russia. A law introduced in 2013 officially bans the “promotion of non-traditional lifestyles to minors,” including homosexuality.

Apple’s Russian representatives ignored media requests for comment. A Moscow court will hear the complaint on October 17.

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Poisoned pet parks persist

BY VANESSA LIM Multiple dog poisonings and the deliberate placement of poisoned meat in parks, especially in off-leash areas where dogs are free to roam, are still being reported across Sydney.

Sydney Park locals reported recently that poisoned meat was left on the ground, posing a risk of serious harm to pets. In the past week, dog walkers using Enmore Park and Enmore Tafe Park also reported baited chicken was discovered on the ground, although it was later found to be a false alarm. However, a warning was posted on the Facebook page “Dogs of Enmore Park,” which stated, “Please be vigilant and perhaps just walk your dogs on leashes for the moment. We hope the perpetrator is caught soon”.

The dog-baiting in these parks follow on from an incident at Rushcutters Bay Park when ‘aniseed-scented’ bait spiked with poison killed one dog and severely sickened another in August.

In the same month a chunk of meat filled with toxic green slug pellets was left outside a home in Whitney Street, Mona Vale, and a young puppy had to have its stomach pumped after eating it.

In September a greyhound was taken ill after it ingested a large amount of rat poison that was left in baited mincemeat on the bayside at Lilyfield.

Dogs have also been poisoned near Le Montage at Rozelle and Pioneers Park in Leichhardt. On the coastal walk at South Coogee baited meat was found scattered on the ground. Further afield, up to a dozen dogs fell ill and two died after consuming poisoned meat near Waterfront Park in Newstead, Queensland The poisoning scare is worrying dog owners, such as Inner West local Olivia Nunes-Malek, who walks her dogs every day.

“This makes me feel very scared for my dog’s safety. Parks are one of the only places they could go where they can be unleashed and bond with other dogs. If they don’t have these parks then their only free place is at home,” she said.

Rushcutters Bay Park, where dogs were poisoned and one died in August this year. Photo:Vanessa Lim

“Maybe even walking them can be considered dangerous because of the high risks associated with poisoning. I’m very worried for my own dogs and other dogs and hope more awareness is brought up about this issue.”

High risk of death Ms Nunes-Malek is not walking her dogs to the park as often as she used to due to the recent reports of dog baiting.

“If my dog were to be poisoned, I would be devastated. One of them is already very sick and I think the poisoning would be the final straw leading to her death,” she said.

Lara Schilling, an Eastern Suburbs resident who takes her dog out to a local park every day, was frightened by the South Coogee coastal walk baiting incident. She said some suspected that a local resident who had a “strong hatred of dogs” being walked past their place had put the baits down.

She also noted that dogs aren’t the only animals that could get hurt.

“People think that it’s just limited to dogs, but any kind of animal that has an omnivorous diet may wind up consuming the baits. There are ecological consequences for some native species too,” Ms Schilling said.

Dog owners should always keep a lookout for what their dogs are chewing Ms Schilling couldn’t understand the motivation behind the dog baiters and wanted harsher fines for the perpetrators.

“Either somebody takes some sick pleasure in abusing animals, or they have a severe hatred of dogs. It’s almost impossible to catch people who lay baits, despite the harsher fines and jail

Kelly Reed, 24 Originally from: UK Now lives: Sydney

sentences that have been introduced. It’s animal abuse, committed by people who have sociopathic behaviour.”

“I don’t think families who fall victim to this should be financially liable either. All pet insurance policies should cover 100 per cent of the medical costs associated with the poisonings, regardless of the level of cover. Fines should be used to cover the treatment,” Ms Schilling said.

Ms Schilling also pointed out that governmentapproved baits such as 1080 that are used for culling foxes, feral cats and other animals that are considered pests shouldn’t be approved regardless of where the bait is placed. “It’s usually a rural thing, but some urban areas may use it,” she said.

Threat to native wildlife While 1080 bait is not available to the general public, Ms Schilling criticised the use of it due to the danger it posed for domesticated pets as well as native wildlife.

During this dog bait scare, dog owners have been advised to keep their dogs on a leash and be wary. Ms Schilling suggested teaching dogs certain cues to minimise the risks.

“I find that a lot of dogs don’t know the ‘leave it’ cue effectively and will pick up food off the ground when they feel like it. My worry is that a child walking their dog may not be able to send out this cue effectively. It’s not the dog’s fault, nor the child’s, it’s the fault of the people who deliberately lay those baits!”

Ms Schilling also commented on her own dog park experience.

“The other issue is that the dogs around here absolutely love to eat grass. They’ll just stand there and eat grass whether they’re feeling sick or not.”

While dogs are the culprits in biting or sniffing random things on walks and while off the leash, dog owners should always keep a lookout for what their dogs are chewing to minimise the risks of poisoning.

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Opinion

Saving faces

BY MERRILL WITT Earlier this year two strange bedfellows, Tony Recsei of Save our Suburbs and Chris Johnson, the former CEO of the developer lobby group Urban Taskforce, joined together to co-write an op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald that was critical of the NSW Government’s push for more mediumdensity housing in Sydney’s suburbs.

When neighborhood activists and developers are on the same side of an issue, you know something’s wrong.

The pair didn’t mince their words. They argued that the implementation of the new Low Rise Medium Density Code “will destroy the suburban character of houses with distinctive architecture surrounded by flowers, trees and other foliage, and have a negative impact across much of Sydney.”

Concerns about Code Residents and councils, not only in Sydney but across NSW, have echoed and amplified similar concerns about the likely detrimental impact of the code on their suburbs.

The Sutherland Shire Council, for example, has applied for a permanent exemption from the application of the code in its R2 Low Density Residential zones. In it submission to a recent independent review of the code, commissioned by Planning Minister Rob Stokes, the Council argued that “the blanket application of the code and ‘one size fits all’ development provisions do not address the differing residential characters throughout Sydney,” In general, the code allows for buildings of greater bulk and scale than what is currently permitted in most councils’ Local Environment Plans (LEPs). The code also creates an avenue for complying development to bypass council approval, thus minimising the rights of neighbours and councils to object to impacts on privacy,

overshadowing, view sharing, streetscape or desired future character.

Already, many councils are struggling to balance strong developer appetite for medium-density dwellings against residents’ worries about how all the new dual-occupancy attached dwellings (i.e., townhouses) and terraces are diminishing the look and livability of their suburbs. Sutherland Shire Council further observed that its community is “growing increasingly concerned about the pace of change and the impacts of increased density locally, which is expressed as visual intrusion of building bulks and privacy impacts, tree loss and change to streetscape character.”

Even pockets in some of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs have not been immune to medium density encroachment in recent years.

Last month, Vaucluse residents were shocked when a Woollahra Local Planning Panel gave the green light for two adjoining dual-occupancy attached dwellings on a street bordering a national park. Despite widespread local community opposition, which included a petition signed by more than 300 people, four four-bedroom townhouses were approved for smaller than average blocks on picturesque Greycliffe Avenue, directly opposite tourist drawcard Nielsen Park.

When neighborhood activists and developers are on the same side, you know something’s wrong Fortunately, in response to the growing community backlash against medium-density development, the Government has granted the 50 councils that obtained a deferral of the code a further extension to July 2020. Mr Stokes said councils will now have “time to complete their

A typical dual-occupancy attached dwelling popping up in Vaucluse, Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill. Photo: Merrill Witt

strategic planning, including Local Strategic Planning Statements and Local Housing Strategies and update their LEPs, and identify and map areas of special local character.”

Reduction in bird life Mosman and Lane Cove councils have already banned medium-density development in their R2 zones. Both of these councils are confident that they can meet the demand for more housing by restricting medium density to their R3 Medium Density Residential Zones, which are centred around transport hubs and shopping centres.

Some people argue that NIMBYism is at play in attempts to protect the single-dwelling character and heavily landscaped settings of established suburbs. But detrimental environmental consequences from overdevelopment in urban areas has been blamed in part for the disappearance of almost a third of the bird population in North America since 1970.

In a recent article in The New York Times, Three Billion Canaries in the Coal Mine, writer

Margaret Renkl said she assumed the changes she observed in her Nashville neighbourhood over the past several decades, “fewer trees and wildflowers, fewer bees and butterflies and grasshoppers, fewer tree frogs and songbirds... were merely circumstantial, specific to a city undergoing rapid gentrification and explosive growth.” Confident that the common birds, at least, would have migrated elsewhere, she was shocked to learn that in the last 50 years almost 3 billion of them have in fact disappeared.

In Australia, habitat loss has been singled out as one of the main culprits for the precipitous fall in countless species’ numbers over the past few decades. At the recent parliamentary inquiry into the declining population of NSW’s koalas, Senior Ecologist at the National Parks Association Oisin Sweeney noted how people have now forgotten that 20 odd years ago koalas were often sighted in suburban pockets across Sydney and NSW. More than meets the eye is definitely at stake in the fight to save Sydney suburbs from overdevelopment.

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Jones’ town cools aid

BY ALEC SMART 2GB Radio broadcaster Alan Jones, who faced censure and a massive advertiser boycott for suggesting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison should “give a backhander” and “shove a sock down the throat” of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has attacked one of his principle boycotters.

Apparently buoyed by a recent survey revealing that his breakfast program still tops the ratings in the morning timeslot, Jones singled out Coles supermarket chain and went on the offensive.

In a lengthy on-air diatribe on 3 October, Jones urged his loyal listeners to give Coles “a very wide berth” and respond with their own boycott of the supermarket giant.

Jones’ aggressive rant against the New Zealand Prime Minister, which took place during his breakfast show on 15 August, was his reaction to Ms Ardern criticising Australia’s poor environmental record. He also described her as an “utter lightweight” and a “clown”.

The misogynistic reproach provoked a widespread public backlash and Coles, along with reportedly over 100 other companies, including Commonwealth Bank, Bing Lee, ME Bank, Total Tools, and Anytime Fitness, withdrew advertising sponsorship. $1million loss in revenue The boycott has led to an estimated $1million loss in revenue for 2GB’s owner

Macquarie Media, which this month was compulsorily acquired by principle shareholder Nine Entertainment Company, owners of Channel 9 TV and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jones, whose show is simulcast on Canberra’s 2CC and Brisbane’s 4BC radio stations, initially issued a statement saying his comments had been “misinterpreted”.

Ms Ardern’s only public response to Jones’ comment was: “I don’t know that I’m going to give it the light of day… I think I’ll just leave it where it is.”

The following morning, Jones continued his verbal onslaught, calling Ms Ardern a “hypocrite” and “gormless”. He refused to apologise, despite Prime Minister Morrison saying he thought Jones’ comments were “very disappointing” and “way out of line”.

Jones’ attacking Coles contravenes a 2GB ban on radio hosts criticising advertisers However, Mr Morrison stopped short of condemning the former Liberal Party speechwriter, saying, “I will leave it to others to explain what they’ve said and how they’ve said it”. In contrast, ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull demanded on Twitter that Jones apologise for “his latest misogynistic rant”.

The day after Jones urged the choking of Ms Ardern, Jones sent

Haranguing Coles for boycotting him suggests Jones’ apology to Jacinda Ardern was disingenuous.

Montage: Alec Smart

the New Zealand Prime Minister a grovelling letter of extenuation.

The Guardian newspaper obtained a copy under Freedom of Information laws.

“You may be aware of media coverage of comments that I made on my Australian radio program yesterday morning,” the letter stated. “One of my comments, which has been broadly reported and doesn’t need to be repeated here, didn’t come out quite as I intended. I had meant to say ‘put a sock in it’ and my actual words were taken literally by some who took offence on your behalf. “… while I may disagree with your

stance on climate change, I would never wish any harm to you. Please accept my sincere apology for the words spoken, and I hope that my intentions are, at least now, clear.”

Termination of contract Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate wrote to advertisers promising a review of Jones’ Breakfast Show.

“Notwithstanding his apologies,” Tate said, “I have today discussed the matter with Alan and advised him that any recurrence of commentary of this nature will result in the termination of his contract…”

Jones, who hosts The Alan Jones Breakfast Show on Sydney radio station

2GB in its Pyrmont studio, and co-hosts Jones & Credlin, with Peta Credlin, on Sky News, is described as one of the most prominent and influential broadcasters in Australia.

He uses his program to advocate his conservative views; however, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found him in breach of the Commercial Radio Code several times, for misreporting environmental issues as well as his infamous April 2005 comments when he racially vilified Lebanese men. On that occasion he read out a text message on his breakfast program urging people to “Get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day”.

This resulted in the infamous Cronulla Riots.

Jones’ new tactic of haranguing Coles for joining the advertiser boycott of his program, which suggests his apology to the New Zealand Prime Minister was disingenuous, is another incautious move in a long career characterised by bullying and harassment.

Macquarie Media’s new owners Channel Nine won’t be amused at their demagogic DJ driving away such a lucrative source of income.

Jones’ describing Coles as “corporate hypocrites” directly contravenes a 2GB ban on radio hosts criticising advertisers.

Meanwhile, consumers have begun taking to social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook expressing their commitment to shop at Coles, just to spite the bellicose broadcaster.

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Harbour health dead in the water

Circling the drain But it’s not just locals in surrounding harbourside suburbs that are the problem. Litter debris

work properly and can wash out trapped rubbish, especially during rain events.

“Large amounts of rubbish are also moved via the wind, off major roadways. This rubbish doesn’t even have a chance to be caught in a GPT.”

Hannah Pragnell-Raasch (Project AWARE) and Thomas Knedlik (PADI Asia-Pacific) removing rubbish from Shelley Beach.

Photo: PADI

can travel long distances, and just as likely to come from as far away as Sydney’s southern beaches, due to the common direction of prevailing winds.

A deluge of pollutants get washed in on “every single rainfall event,” says Dr Katherine Daffornn, Deputy Director of the Sydney Harbour Research Program SIMS, especially when gross pollutant traps are ineffective.

“In inner Sydney suburbs storm drains overflow where there are no gross pollutant traps or nets fail or are damaged,” Dr Daffornn said. “It’s just chocking the waterways with plastics.”

Robert Allen, Lead Networks Programs Scientist for Stormwater and Natural Assets at Sydney Water, says gross pollutant traps (GPTs) are effective at trapping rubbish before they

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Dead zones” in Sydney Harbour were found in close proximity to litter-laden storm drains “Most organisations [like] Sydney Water have good… programs to clean out the GPT’s properly, but some organisations don’t. This is either due to lack of funding, or lack of knowledge on how to maintain the traps properly.

“They need to be inspected and cleaned out regularly,” Mr Allen added, “otherwise they won’t

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enter major streams, but the problem is lack of maintenance.

Deep sea striving All parties can agree the most effective and viable solution is to stop the rubbish entering the environment in the first place. But many are taking clean-up measures in their own hands to rectify the existing damage. Project AWARE runs a groundbreaking program with Manly Dive Centre, which aims to excavate as much plastic as possible in regular deep sea diving expeditions.

Their latest surveys found that one of the biggest source of waste is cigarette butts in the waters. Littered butts release toxic emissions of nicotine and pyrene within one hour of exposure into water as they decompose, toxic to small crustaceans and bacteria.

But Project AWARE said they have seen a reduction of plastic bottle sightings since the introduction of container deposit schemes, such as TOMRA’s ‘Return and Earn’ program. This processed 5,721,464 numbers of containers in NSW for National CleanUp Day on September 21st alone.

Dr Daffornn urges more government support for these initiatives and top-down government policy and incentives, as well as bottom-up decision making.

“On the bottom-up side of things, it needs to become a part of our everyday lives to use metal straws and re-usable cups; make it the norm that cafés aren’t using single-use plastics any more,” she said. “If we don’t stop the use of single-use plastics, it will just continue accumulating. It won’t make a difference unless we stop causing the problem.”

It’s predicted that even if water pollution is stopped now, the effects of the current waste will be felt for decades, or even centuries.

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BY VERONICA ANASSIS Stormwater debris from suburban gutter and land pollution are destroying Sydney Harbour, smothering marine life and creating uninhabitable areas called “dead zones,” say researchers.

According to the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), they’ve found patches of harbour water where no signs of life, not even bacteria, can exist due to low levels of oxygen. These “dead zones” were found in close proximity to litterladen storm drains, and correlated with excessive organic contaminants.

Sydney Harbour has a very high concentration of microplastics, hostilely taking over of the fragile ecosystem’s food chain. Plastics notoriously never perish - but do break down over time into tiny specs. Ingested by invertebrates, they then get eaten by fish. Plastics sit stubbornly in the gut and accumulate as they’re passed on from predator to predator. Because recreational fishing is not banned in Sydney Harbour, contaminants routinely make their way to human plates from the day’s catch.

According to recycling company TOMRA’s latest information video Sydney Harbour: Above and Below, 37,500 cubic metres of pollution (equivalent to 15 Olympic sized swimming pools) sinks into the harbour bed per year. Two thirds is derived from storm water run-offs.

Below the serene, glistening Sydney Harour, an estimated 900 tonnes of lethal waste lurks in its underbelly. Turtles, seals and birds regularly mistake rubbish for food, clogging their intestines and choking their throats. They get entangled in plastic death-traps of bags and finishing line and cannot get away, resulting in slow and painful fatalities.

Mains Mains

Coq au vin Coq au vinBoneless chicken Sous-vide Sous-vide Boneless chicken w bacon, onion, garlic, and w bacon, onion, and mushrooms in a garlic, rich red wine mushrooms in a rich red wine sauce

sauceBourguignon Beef The french slow cooked Beefclassic Bourguignon beef The classic french slow cooked Pork beef Belly Sous-vide finished w cumin & Pork Belly spice red wine glaze

Sous-vide finished w cumin &

Atlantic Fillet spice redSalmon wine glaze Sous-vide w basil, lime & aAtlantic chilli oilSalmon Fillet

Wagyu Rump* Wagyu Rump* steak 6+ 250 gm steak 6+ 250 gm Sous-vide grain-fed served with Sous-vide grain-fed green pepper sauceserved with green pepper sauce (ex tra $5 if part of set menu)

(extra $5 if part of set menu) Des serts

Desserts Crème Brulee Rich Chocolate Crème Brulee Mousse Panacotta Rich Chocolate Mousse Classic Crème Caramel Panacotta Pavlova Classic Crème Caramel Brie, and croutons Pavlova Brie, and croutons

Sous-vide w basil, Lamb Shoulder (forlime 2) & a chilli oil cooked, herb crusted, 14 hrs slow served w tzatziki(for and2)side of Lamb Shoulder SET rosemary & garlic sauce 14 hrs slow cooked, herb crusted, (also part of 3 Course Set Menu) served w tzatziki and side of grilled, Cypriot cheese with olives PRICE Scallops* Duck breast* rosemary & garlic sauce & artichokes salad, fig glaze large Canadian scallops, MENU Sous-vide finished, (also part & ofpan 3 Course Set Menu) seared on, eggplant & Scallops* served pink on sweet & Choice of any Duckcherry breast* sour sauce red relish largepepper Canadian scallops, Sous-vide & pan fi nished, (extra $5 if part of set menu) courses* (extra part of set seared$4 on,if eggplant & menu) served pink on sweet & Filet Mignon* (entree, main & dessert) King Prawns* sour cherrywrapped sauce in bacon, red pepper relish Sous-vide, Shelled and Sizzling with roasted (extra $5 if part of set menu) (extra $4 if part of set menu) served with medley of exotic garlic, butter & v olive oil mushrooms, sauce.

Filet Mignon* (entree, main also & dessert) a la carte menu available King Prawns* (extra $5 ifwrapped part of set menu) (extra $4 if part of set menu) Sous-vide, in bacon, tomato, basil, wine, garlic,

Halloumi Shallots & parmesan grilled, Cypriot cheese with olives Halloumi & artichokes salad, fig glaze

*Due to the heritage nature of this vessel, this tour is not suitable for individuals with mobility issues.

BOOK NOW! Phone: 02 9298 3888 Email: info@shf.org.au www.shf.org.au

SET PRICE 3 MENU Choice of any 3$50pp courses*

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Shelled and Sizzling with roasted served with medley of exotic 99 Redfern Street Redfern P: 8073 4270 E: reservations@lagrillade.com.au W: www.lagrillade.com.au garlic, butter & v olive oil mushrooms, sauce. a la carte menu also available (extra $5 if part of set menu) (extra $4 if part of set menu) 99 Redfern Street Redfern P: 8073 4270 E: reservations@lagrillade.com.au W: www.lagrillade.com.au city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

9

Opinion

Substratum acquisitions

BY PETER HEHIR Now that the RMS are sending notices in relation to the compulsory acquisition of the land beneath properties in Rozelle and Lilyfield – which includes almost all of the homes in SW Rozelle, most of Lilyfield and a good percentage of NW Rozelle – it’s timely for homeowners to consider how to complete the form that the RMS will be sending shortly.

Once a copy of the Compulsory Acquisition Notice is sent, the homeowner has just 28 days to lodge it. The notice has seven sections numbered a) to g) and each has provision for a $ value to be entered. The following should be considered when completing the form.

• Section a) ‘the market value of the land on the date of its acquisition’. The suggested entry is NIL because the market value of the land to be acquired is nil – this is because the land cannot be bought or sold separately from the whole title, as it is the underground lot.

RMS are issuing Compulsory Acquisition Notices around WestConnex construction by Rozelle Bay. Photo: Alec Smart • Section b) ‘any special value of the land to the person on the date of its acquisition’. The suggested • Section e) ‘the disadvantage resulting from recent WestConnex Community Reference Group entry is NIL. relocation’, needs further investigation as costs meeting, who stated that there is no proof of this. associated with relocation while severely damaged • With Section c) ‘any loss attributed to severance’ Evidence also indicates that those who reside above it is suggested that TBA be inserted as this can be homes are being repaired, may fall under this shallow road tunnels are aware of traffic noise 24/7, calculated at a later date. section, or it may be covered/included in Section d). especially so in the early hours.

• Section d) ‘any loss attributed to disturbance’ TBA may be appropriate.

• Section g) should be completed with the words will suggest a figure required to effect the • Section f) requires that a figure be arrived at TBA. necessary structural repairs. This could be that attempts to quantify the loss occasioned by The figures entered will obviously be estimates as little as a few thousand dollars or up to a homeowner who now finds that a road tunnel and are specific to individual properties. They can many hundreds of thousands, if walls require is to be built beneath their property. This is an be subsequently adjusted as and when necessary underpinning; or even more, if the home needs estimate in the loss of value of the surface land to depending on the degree of damage and the cost to be demolished and completely rebuilt. Early be retained after the acquisition. There is anecdotal of litigation. homes built on 19th century footings and evidence that the market value of homes above Evidence published by Otus Intelligence those with lime mortared masonry walls may the tunnel route in the Inner West has dropped strongly suggests that there is a definite correlation be especially susceptible as they were never substantially, anywhere from 10% to perhaps as between tunnelling and subsidence and that designed to be undermined. This section should much as 30%, depending on the size and depth of disturbance of the surface is inevitable. The EIS also include an allowance to cover legal costs the tunnel below the property. This was disputed also indicates an inverse relationship with tunnel incurred in the pursuit of a settlement. by the joint venture contractors and the RMS, at a depth and subsidence.

Lodging a claim along the lines suggested above costs you nothing. If no claim is made within the 28 day period then compensation may not be possible under the Act. Note however that to date claims under this Act seeking compensation in relation to the earlier stages of WCX have been singularly unsuccessful. However, if and when an action in the courts does succeed, this establishes a precedent, which then may permit those who’ve lodged a claim to seek compensation individually or to join a subsequent class action.

Please note that this process is totally separate from the structural damage provisions that already exist, whereby if it can be proven that the tunnelling has caused structural damage, then repairs will be effected at no cost to the owner. It is worth noting however that of the 200 or so claims for structural damage lodged so far, hardly any have been successful!

RAW (Rozelle Against WestConnex) again recommends that homeowners seek a property report from Otus Intelligence – see the attached article by Australian Financial Review Infrastructure reporter Jenny Wiggens https:// www.afr.com/companies/satellite-data-showwestconnex-damage-could-open-floodgates-onclaims-20190311-h1c8og – as this can clearly establish subsidence associated with tunnelling with a compelling degree of accuracy, showing real time subsidence and the condition of the surface land prior to, while the tunnel boring machines are directly below a property and subsequent subsidence, even well after the event.

Disclaimer. Please note that I’m not qualified to offer legal opinion and that homeowners are encouraged to seek specialist legal advice to confirm the relevance and accuracy of the information provided above.

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

CHEERS TO 25 YEARS!

25 YEARS YEARS

Twenty-five years ago, we opened the doors on one of the most remarkable arts centres in Sydney. Join us for a special day to celebrate these 25 years of community, creativity and culture.

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returns to CPAC with a 30 minute choreographed performance where bodies and wheels collide on a custom skate ramp next to our graffiti tanks, fusing parkour, dance, BMX riding and hip hop.

3-5PM SPEECHES & TOASTS

Surprise guests will give toasts over the course of the afternoon. PLUS we've invited some of the most exciting young Australian artists to develop works that will be performed throughout the event.

Celebrate local, seasonal, affordable and accessible food at Bellbird Dining + Bar this spring!

OPEN DAILY 9AM-3PM 5-7PM CPAC LIVE

Join us for the finale of a talent quest, featuring the best of the West. With special performances from judges including Jet Valencia of Kookies n’ Kream and Dayong of Juse Crew.

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city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

RETRO HORROR

MANGA EXHIBITION Love horror? Love manga? Check out RETRO HORROR: Supernatural and the Occult in Postwar Japanese Manga. See over 70 original drawings plus reproductions of iconic works, then get comfy in the reading lounge with more than 80 horror comics in English and Japanese.

ADMISSION FREE OCT 18 - JAN 24 The Japan Foundation, Sydney Level 4, Central Park 28 Broadway Chippendale 2008 (access via lifts)

jpf.org.au/retro-horror

Part of the HORROR MANGA JAPAN event program at The Japan Foundation, Sydney.

HIV Work Ready Program Supporting people living with HIV to engage in training and mentoring to prepare for paid or voluntary work roles To find out how you can get involved contact Positive Life NSW Phone 02 9206 2177 Freecall 1800 245 677 Email workready@positivelife.org.au

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11

FEATURE

Billy Elliot: The Musical

By Rita Bratovich Billy Elliot was first introduced to audiences in the 2000 film directed by Stephen Daldry.

The heartwarming tale of a poor boy from a Northern England coal mining town who pirouetted out of the slums and onto the stage immediately connected with audiences around the world. With its charming characters, feel-good storyline, and super-charged dance sequences, its adaptation into a stage musical was inevitable. Screenwriter, Lee Hall teamed up with songwriting legend, Elton John to create the book and songs, and Stephen Daldry returned to direct, and in 2005 Billy Elliot: The Musical made its debut in London’s West End. To call it a success would be a ridiculous understatement - the show ran continuously with sellout seasons for 11 years.

When Australian producer, Louise Withers, found out Billy Elliot was being staged, she immediately set off for London with the intention of negotiating rights to bring it to Australia.

“The minute I knew about the show - and of course, went over to have a look at it - I knew that I wanted to be the one to bring it out of England and put it on across the water for the first time. So we were ahead of Broadway!”

It premiered in Sydney in 2007 with a limited run ending in 2009 and visiting only two cities (Sydney and Melbourne). This current tour will include many more cities. What limited the previous production was the elaborate set that required serious structural modifications in the theatre.

“Billy’s bedroom used to come out of the floor as like a big kind of rotating, telescoping bedroom,” explains Withers. “And we used to have to dig a 4x4x4 metre hole underneath the basement floor so that the entire bedroom unit could then rotate and disappear underneath the stage.”

Only the Capitol in Sydney and Her Majesty’s in Melbourne could accommodate this. Now the set has been redesigned so that instead of coming up through the ground the bedroom comes on from the side of the stage. More theatres can handle this and so more cities will get to see the show this time.

While dance is at the centre of the show and at the centre of the narrative, Withers believes the essence of the story is the inspiring relationship between Billy and Mrs Wilkinson, the dance instructor.

“It connects with audiences because it’s not just about dance, it’s actually about anything in your life where you have had a mentor, whether that mentor is a parent or a sibling or a teacher or somebody that you watch on television that becomes your mentor; it is something that inspires you, that lights something inside you that makes you want to achieve something remarkable.”

Peter Darling created the original high-octane choreography for the London show which is performed in this production. It incorporates organic, natural movement with innovative, modern steps to create some very exciting, powerful dance sequences. It’s also very demanding. Associate choreographer, Tom Hodgson, describes a very arduous auditioning process in selecting the four boys who would alternate in the lead role of Billy. To begin with, there are four characteristics a contender needs to have.

“Potential is the first thing, that’s immediately what we’re looking for. Passion, dedication, and charisma,” says Hodgson. That is the first filter, and it only narrows the field slightly.

During the long search, Hodgson says the boys need to fulfil a lot of other criteria including singing and acting skills and having the right kind of personality. But far from wanting clones, Hodgson is happy to have

Jamie Rogers, River Mardesic, Omar Abiad & Wade Neilsen.

Photo: James D Morgan

individuals who each bring something different to the part.

“The four boys that we have are all unique and special in their own way,” he explains.

Of course, having four different personalities alternating in the lead means the entire cast has to adjust slightly to each one.

“The rehearsal process, make no mistake, it’s gruelling… All the scenes, all the dance numbers are rehearsed with the cast with each of those four boys,” says Hodgson.

“Every single night, the cast have to be prepared for a slightly different version, a unique version of the show.”

The four boys who will alternate in the lead role of Billy are; River Mardesic (10), Omar Abiad (12), Wade Neilsen (12), and Jamie Rogers (12). While their names were publicly announced in May, the boys themselves were each told they had got the part some three months earlier and had to (somehow) keep quiet.

They have all been dancing from a very young age, are enormously talented, very charismatic, and ecstatic about landing the role of a lifetime. They are living their own real-life Billy Elliot story.

Mirroring the famous scene in Billy Elliot,

when Billy is auditioning for the Royal Ballet and is asked how he feels when he dances, these four young performers describe how they feel when they dance.

River: “I feel free and it makes forget about everything around me. And peaceful.”

Wade: “I feel free and, like, I just forget everything when I’m dancing and just enjoy myself.”

Jamie: “Yeah, free, because if you have a bad day at school or at dance, you can just dance and let all your emotions out.”

Omar: “I feel free because I can let all my emotion out… and I also feel, like, electric.”

Until Dec 8. Sydney Lyric, 55 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont. $79-$199+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneylyric.com.au 12

city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Fully Committed How did director Kate Champion adapt the 2000 comedy by American playwright Becky Mode for Ensemble Theatre audiences?

“I worked together with Australian writer and dramaturg Jane Fitzgerald to relocate the play from Manhattan to Sydney,” she says. “We went through the script finding any expressions or place and character names that were distinctly American and changed them to equivalent colloquial references.”

Champion says she was thrilled when she heard that Mode was happy to allow this relocation as it makes the play immediately relevant and recognisable to a local audience.

“On top of that,” Champion adds, “We’ve been able to make the protagonist a woman, which again gives a fresh perspective to the play’s material. It’s a comedy undercut with pathos for

the woman at its centre who is simply trying to do her job.”

The work takes a potshot at socialites who are denied entry to their favourite Woolloomooloo eating spot. It also explores the social divisions between those who are doing the serving and those who are being served.

From “global fusion” to “molecular gastronomy,” high-end dining may have changed its vocabulary as often as it has changed its ingredients, but the number of aficionados just keeps increasing.

The sole cast member Contessa Treffone carries the play as Sam, who must juggle the demands of some 40 insistent characters at the price of losing her job.

“Our relocation of Fully Committed to Sydney’s restaurant culture means the play speaks directly

Art Attack Once again your friendly neighbourhood Art Attack has been scouting out all of the gossip, rumours, news and general hubbub from around Sydney this week.

to our local experience of the ‘foodie’ phenomena,” Champion says. (ID) Oct 15-Nov 16. Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli. $38-$78+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.ensemble.com.au

New Theatre presents UK playwright James Graham’s examination of a series of bombings in London in 1969-70 by Britain’s first home-grown terrorists.

The play is divided into two parts. The first half looks at the investigations of the police officers who were trying to develop new techniques appropriate for the new crimes being perpetrated on the streets, while the second takes place in the shared digs of the youthful bombers.

Like an old episode of The Bill, the deliberations of the police officers as they mull over the details of the bombings seem somewhat dated in the face of modern television police procedurals.

However, Graham’s flight of fancy in which the

Wit

Wit was the first and only play written by American playwright, Margaret Edson, and it earned her a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among numerous other awards. It has a rather sombre premise: Dr Vivian Bearing, a scholar of 17th century poetry, is in the final stages of terminal cancer and reviewing her life choices with regret. Chantelle Jameison, who plays Bearing’s doctor in the upcoming Clock & Spiel

a&e

Photo: Bob Seary

REVIEW: The Angry Brigade

officers smoke dope and indulge in an orgy in an attempt to get into the heads of the criminals is OTT and, quite frankly, it lost me as I pondered its ‘message.’

production, says the play is deeply moving but not all doom and gloom.

“The central character is very entertaining.

Even though she’s dying from cancer, she’s also a show woman - she has spent her life lecturing,” explains Jameison. “It is written in such a dry, witty kind of way.”

Thematically, the play examines the pursuit of intellectualism and ambition at the cost of human connection and emotional fulfilment.

“You have a young doctor who is so wrapped up in the minutiae of cancer research, so involved in that and so ambitious to make a break through that she can’t see the human beings around her,” says Jameison.

The set is a simple, literal depiction of a hospital room with surreal elements that match the storytelling. It has a beautiful, moody soundscape.

“It’s such a fascinating play, it’s so incredibly complex and just an amazing piece of writing,” says Jameison. “Audiences will find it hard to walk out of there without giving some reflection to their own life.” (RB) Oct 16-26. Seymour Centre, Cnr City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale. $48-$53+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com

13 14 15 15

STAGE SCENE Sounds SCREEN

The second half offers an insightful examination of the backgrounds and motivations of the young militants, all but one of whom are disillusioned, middle-class youth.

Their desire to destroy property, which they were remarkably successful at doing, would, these days, qualify them for some serious psychological counselling.

The set was suitably grotty as befits the ideology of the group, the exception being Anna, who was bitterly castigated by the working-class Jim for buying a teapot.

For all the arguments among the four revolutionaries, this was, perhaps, the most radical act of the drama. (ID) Until Nov 2. New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown. $20-$35+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.newtheatre.org.au

Part theatre, part performance lecture, part stand-up comedy, My Best Dead Friend is Anya Tate-Mannings method for dealing with her own real-life experiences. In the one-woman show, Tate-Manning tells the story of a closeknit group of teenage girls who railed against the status-quo and wanted to take over the world, only to be rocked by the death of a friend some years later.

A hit around the world with acclaimed seasons in New Zealand, Melbourne, Perth and Edinburgh, My Best Dead Friend is a joyful and vibrant coming-of-age story all about friendship.

Oct 11-12. Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market Streets, Parramatta. $44-$49+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.riversideparramatta.com.au Also this week: One of the country’s most promising up-and-coming creatives, Anchuli Felicia King, will be making her Sydney debut with her presentation Slaughterhouse, at Belvoir’s 25A. Slaughterhouse is a genre-defying production that takes audiences on cerebral journey as it explores the clashing modern worlds of technology, ethics and identity politics.

Oct 16-Nov 2. Downstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, 18 & 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills. $25+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.belvoir.com.au

REVIEW: Cirque Du Soleil - Kurios Cirque Du Soleil’s Kurios is not just a show it is a whole universe. Set at the turn of the last century, the show is a combination of Jules Verne and Vaudeville, on steroids. From the charming and cheeky aviator (Rola Bola) taunting the audience with his fearsome flight above them to daring acrobats (Banquine) flinging each other across the stage, life becomes a balancing act.

Each performer has a fully rounded character to play. All have their own path to follow as their world prepares itself to step into the next century. Even the musicians are featured as characters in their own right and are not hidden in an orchestra pit but are ever-present in the turbine which is always visible. There at the front of the stage between acts they come in and out of the shadows to play the wonderful jazz fusion pieces that are so much a part of the whole.

Lana Cencic, who plays the beautiful Bella Donna is all grace, poise and charm as she plays her percussion instrument whilst simultaneously decorating the stage. There is collaboration on every level and on every aspect of the show.

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to cityhubsydney.com.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @AltMediaSydney

Above all else, the actors, directors, producers, publicists and everyone else involved with Cirque Du Soleil become one big family under the big top and it shows.

Kurios is Cirque’s best show yet, so be prepared for the visual splendour of a bygone age fused with the magic of new imaginings.

(RLD) Until Nov 24. Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. $80-$355+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.cirquedusoleil.com

Contributors: Irina Dunn, Mark Morellini, Rita Bratovich, Madison Behringer, Allison Hore, Renee Lou Dallow, Alannah Maher.

city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

13

THE NAKED CITY

THE SEARCH FOR MIGUELITO

With Coffin Ed You don’t have to be a cinephile to observe that Sydney is awash with film festivals - from the landmark Sydney Film Festival, through Tropfest and Flickerfest to the Sydney Underground and numerous ethnically based events – to mention just a few. It almost seems there’s a new festival every week and if that’s the case, it’s a real positive. Gets those Netflix bums off couches and into the social setting of a real cinema!

One of the most anticipated events amongst many cinema buffs is the annual Antenna Documentary Film Festival which brings together some amazing documentaries from all over the world. The festival always manages to include some great music docos and this year is no exception with a stand out repertory screening of Shirley Clarke’s brilliant 1986 portrait of jazz immortal Ornette Coleman.

Whilst documentaries that focus on well-known figures are always well received, those that profile a total unknown can also be just as rewarding. That’s certainly the case with Sydney filmmaker Sam Zubrycki’s vibrant, enthralling and at times perplexing feature Miguelito - the search for a long lost Puerto Rican salsa singer who achieved overnight stardom at the age of only 11.

Like the start of many great stories, this one began very much by chance when Sam was travelling through Columbia in 2013 and came across the album Canto a Borinquen Acordes. He recalls: “It was there where I first saw and heard Miguelito’s album and as I mention in the film it just struck me as being so different to any other salsa record I had seen or heard. The Cali collectors told me the story of Miguelito, that he was an 11-year-old Puerto Rican kid who was discovered by the legendary New York record producer Harvey Averne, recorded the album Canto a Borinquen, played Madison Square Garden with Eddie Palmieri and then not long after was tragically run over.”

In filming the documentary Sam quickly forges a friendship with the legendary and at times cantankerous New York record producer Harvey Averne (in Averne’s own words “born Jewish but with a Latino soul”).

“He was definitely on board straight away. Once we made contact Harvey was delighted and surprised that I had taken an interest in the Miguelito LP. I remember it was quite a brief

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past, unearthing archival footage and capturing live club performances. He notes that: “It has been an extremely challenging process.

Being an international co-production with characters and locations based on the other side of the world, in a foreign language and exploring an event that occurred more than 50 years ago made it tough to imagine it would possible. However, I was determined and driven by my love of salsa and the beautiful culture that surrounds it.”

Miguelito premiered earlier in the year at the Cartagena Film Festival in Colombia, with a soldout screening in London following. British DJ and record label guru Gilles Peterson came to the

Flow Fest Sydney

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conversation where he told me his recollections of the album and then told me to come to New York and start shooting. So I did.”

Right from the very beginning, you realise the filmmaker’s quest to track down Miguelito, if he is indeed still alive, is a puzzle to which there is a multitude of scattered pieces. It’s a detective story that requires loads of perseverance and numerous interviews with musicians, family members and childhood friends of Miguelito.

The documentary, which moves at a dynamic pace, propelled by an almost constant soundtrack of salsa, is Sam’s first feature-length documentary.

He has done an extraordinary job, sourcing a whole school of Salsa musicians from Miguelito’s

city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

Darlinghurst has long been Sydney’s home of music.

However, this weekend the suburb steps it up to an even higher level with the introduction of a brand new music and art festival concept.

Flow Fest Sydney has reimagined the entirety of the music festival concept as it sees music and arts flow from venue to venue, across multiple different stages throughout the day and night.

The festival will take place from midday Saturday right through until 3 am Sunday. With multiple curated stages and installations across well-known venues such as the iconic Flinders Hotel, The

Taphouse, and The Beresford.

That’s not to mention all of the musical acts alongside the adjoining laneways and streetscapes. In total Flow Fest Sydney will feature 40 different artists.

Flow Fest Sydney has been formulated with social consciousness at its forefront.

Which means that each of the artists, venues and all of the infrastructure have all been carefully curated for minimal environmental impact, resulting in maximum good times.

Oct 12. Various Venues. $22+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.events. humanitix.com.au/flow-fest

screening and loved it. Sam is obviously chuffed about the Sydney premiere and adds: “I’ve been working on the film for roughly five years and now it’s being shown in my local city. It’s really wonderful. It’s impossible to see independent documentary cinema on the big screen anymore in Sydney and so what Antenna is doing is really special.”

Whatever happened to Miguelito? No spoiler here, but all will be revealed when this exceptional documentary screens on Friday, October 18 from 7 pm at the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington followed by a Q&A with Sam Zubrycki.

Info: www.antennafestival.org

Art Attack

Lady King

All round the city this week you’ve probably spotted a few climate-change activists or protest. This weekend, however, the protest will take a more joyful approach. The Spring Rebellion: Groove Train For Rebels will see protestors boarding a train from Newton at 11 am to Summer Hill, and back, to dance away their anger at the government’s lack of climate change action.

So, if you love dancing, public transport and also think our government’s climate change policy is an abysmal crap-shoot … jump aboard the groove train!

Oct 12, 11am. Newtown Train Station. Valid Opal Card Required.

Info: www.facebook.com

Hourglass Ensemble

By Jamie Apps For many people, classical/chamber music is one of the most intimidating styles of live performance. Thankfully though The Hourglass Ensemble is revolutionising the way chamber music is delivered to audiences and in the process breaking down many of the barriers people often encounter.

Formed in 2015 by Artistic Director Dr Andrew Kennedy The Hourglass Ensemble takes to the stage with one key mission underpinning every performance, play new and recent music that an audience will be able to enjoy and understand on first hearing. When City Hub spoke with Dr Kennedy we asked him why he felt this was a necessary avenue to explore in the Sydney music scene.

“I’ve been a musician my whole life but when I would take friends along to concerts they would be very disorientated,” Dr Kennedy answered, “They wouldn’t understand the formalities, the codes, the rules or the routines of that particular style of music, so I would have to explain it to them.”

It was these early experiences that would then guide The Hourglass Ensemble’s concert programs. In order to break down the barriers to enjoyment, Dr Kennedy found that simply providing context for the music was a major step forward.

“Merely talking about the composer or playing an example from the piece and explaining why it was used in the way that it was, perhaps it

Art Attack Earlier this week Melbourne band City Calm Down announced that following their upcoming Television tour they will be taking an indefinite hiatus. As such their show at Manning Bar tomorrow night now takes on even more significance for Sydney fans. Luckily for readers of this column Art Attack has been given a double pass to give away over on our Facebook page.

Ewa Kowalski, Anna Rutkowska-Schock

represents an emotion or a bird or a butterfly, helped the audience enjoy the music that much more.”

Another area which Dr Kennedy noticed a disconnect between audience members was in regards to the formalities of chamber music performance.

“People were a bit frustrated because they didn’t feel a connection with the artist. As performers, you would go up there wearing all black or a suit and it all felt very stiff. So the audience didn’t

Oct 11. Manning Bar, Manning House, Manning Rd, Camperdown. $38+b.f.

Tickets & Info: www.manningbar.com Sydneysiders have three fantastic opportunities this week to catch the wonderfully talented Mish Shell performing at various venues throughout the city. Mish is a multi instrumentalist musician, inspired by her love of poetry and passion towards the overall wellbeing of life upon the planet. Her multicultural roots have endowed her soulful voice

understand what they were supposed to get out of classical music.”

In response to that The Hourglass Ensemble takes a much more relaxed approach to their concerts. “We want to have a relationship with the audience, so we’re very friendly and approachable. We’re not just a group of people wearing very formal clothes… we dress how we want to and according to a particular theme. So you can tell from the audience’s perspective what each performer’s personality is like, which the audience loves.”

Since its inception in 2015, The Hourglass Ensemble’s impact on the classical music scene has been significant. Both in regards to welcoming in new audiences but also in terms of the new music they have helped create.

As part of their repertoire, The Hourglass Ensemble always incorporate a significant proportion of local compositions. In order to do this, they have had to commission a number of pieces specifically for their concerts, a fact which Dr Kennedy is incredibly proud of.

“I’m particularly proud of the 22 pieces that we have commissioned because that has created work for Australian composers and new music for people to listen to.”

Looking ahead to their concerts at the Opera House this month Dr Kennedy said that in the past the “people who have come to a classical concert for the first time have always walked away elated and saying ‘I wonder why I never did that before.’”

Oct 12-13. Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $20-$58+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

with the ability to craft irresistible melodies, reflecting upon her diverse interest in life, whilst drawing inspiration from the rich vein of musical genres, ranging from folk, rock, jazz and indie influences.

Oct 11, 16-17. Parliament on King, Foundry616 & Annadale Hotel. See websites for tickets.

In a moment of ‘you never know what’s going to happen at a live concert,’ a warm-up show for Sydney band The Kids was unexpectedly shut

Fleabag

The Eulogy

after the film was made) takes on the mantle of detective, delving into archives and interviewing people who knew and worked with Tozer.

A biography slowly unfolds, revealing an incredibly gifted child prodigy who ultimately became a victim of his privileged life.

It’s a well-structured film, incorporating lots of intimate footage and photos and underscored by Tozer’s own playing.

It’s a genuinely intriguing, sad story that tips the scale one way then the other. (RB) WWW1/2

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s phenomenally popular TV series, Fleabag began as an equally phenomenally popular one-woman stage show in Britain. Now that live show has now been captured on film as part of the National Theatre Live film series.

Part memoir, part stand-up comedy, Fleabag is a brashly candid monologue retelling a particularly eventful chapter in Waller-Bridge’s life. While it is hilarious - sometimes crudely so - the story centres around a tragic incident that clearly affected Waller-Bridge deeply,

Since his arrival on the solo scene in 2005, Dallas Green has mesmerised listeners with each and every release under the City And Colour banner.

With his latest release, A Pill For Loneliness, the Alexisonfire vocalist come solo singer-songwriter continues this fine tradition.

A Pill For Loneliness follows Green’s tried and true path, but with five albums already under his belt as City And Colour this record delivers a much more poignant message.

Across his 11 track offering Green takes a deep, honest and sometimes difficult path of introspection to formulate his songs. This record is all about living life on the road whilst reflecting on the love lost and confusing that surrounds this unique lifestyle.

A Pill For Loneliness is a record filled with incredible melodies, musicianship and lyricism.

This will be a record which goes into many rotations for many years. (JA) WWWW1/2 down when several drunken patrons stormed the stage mid-set.

Whilst the initial aggressors were safely ejected from the venue, Glebe Police would send six squad cars and approximately 10 officers to bring peace to the situation. Ultimately meaning The Kids never got to finish their set.

Luckily though fans will have another chance to see The Kids perform in Oct when their full tour returns to Newtown’s Hideaway Bar. Oct 17. Hideaway Bar, 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore.

Art Attack

Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Photo: Joan Marcus

Geoffrey Tozer died in 2009, aged 54 and virtually unknown to the wider public.Yet, in the world of classical music, he is regarded as one of the greatest pianists ever born. Tozer was Australian but is probably least known in this country and but for the scathing eulogy delivered by Paul Keating at Tozer’s funeral, he might have remained unknown.

This documentary by Janine Hosking is an investigation into Keating’s accusations of snobbery and mistreatment towards Tozer by the musical establishment. Conductor, Richard Gill (who sadly died soon

City And Colour A Pill For Loneliness

and each time she touches on the subject, the mood turns sombre. It gives the entire piece more emotional volume, although it does sometimes feel more like a self-serving therapy session. There is no doubt about Waller-Bridge’s talent, though.

The writing is excellent and her comic timing is genius. She is gifted with a naturally expressive face with which she can deliver an intricate idea or hysterical punchline with the most nuanced movement.

Very entertaining. (RB) WWW1/2

This past week has seen two very important announcements in the Australian film scene.

Firstly it was announced that Netflix would be returning as an honourable partner of this year’s SCREEN FOREVER program. In this role Netflix will provide delegates valuable insights into the industry leader’s pioneering content strategy and also allow delegates to directly pitch to Netflix executives.

In the second piece of exciting news, box office numbers are in from last week’s film openings and the Australian film Ride Like A Girl has become the highest grossing Australian film of the year after less than two weeks in cinemas.

Lastly, for those of us looking ahead for something to watch at home ABC has a brand new comedy series coming to screens next Wednesday. Frayed is set in 1988 and follows the seemingly perfect life of Simone Burbeck, played

by Sarah Kendall. Simone lives in a mansion in London with her perfect husband and children (Frazer Hadfield and Maggie Ireland-Jones), and her life is a merry-go-round of expensive renovations, dinner parties and school fundraisers.There’s just one problem: it’s all lies.

Remember - if you’ve got any tidbits to share, send them in via #ARTATTACK. city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019

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city hub 10 OCTOBER 2019